News
Canada

Funeral held for N.B. boys killed by snake

The funeral of Noah and Connor Barthe, the two boys killed on Monday by a python that had escaped from its cage in Campbellton, New Brunswick, were laid to rest Saturday, August 10, 2013, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. (ALAIN LAVOIE/QMI Agency)

More Coverage

Related Stories

The reverend conducting a funeral service Saturday for two young New Brunswick brothers killed by an escaped python urged people not to succumb to anger or pass judgement.

Rev. Maurice Frenette said now is not the time to point fingers and lay blame in the deaths of Noah Barthe, 4, and his brother, Connor, 6, who were found asphyxiated last Monday.

Instead, he spoke kindly of the children and praised the community of Campbellton, N.B., for its unwavering support in light of the tragedy.

More than 300 people gathered Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Campbellton.

Close friends and family followed the single casket up the steps into the church, where mourners shared joyful stories about Noah and Connor.

The brothers, people said, were insuperable in life, which is why they share a single coffin in death.

The boys were found dead, killed by a snake escaped from its enclosure, last Monday morning at a family friend's apartment above the pet store Reptile Ocean.

Both premises are owned by Jean-Claude Savoie, who kept the illegal python as a pet in the apartment.

Savoie's son, a friend of the Barthe boys, had been sleeping in another room and was unharmed.

Ahead of Saturday's funeral, Constant Paradise, a family friend, said she doesn't blame Savoie for the tragedy.

She said the community will be there for the boys' parents, but also Savoie.

“After all, it was an accident,” she said.

Police have not announced any charges against Savoie, though the province seized 27 illegal reptiles from his store on Friday.

Among them were four large American alligators, which, like the python, were euthanized.

The other critters — including 20 non-lethal snakes and a turtle — were moved to zoos in New Brunswick and Ontario.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised Friday that the federal government would address the issue of regulations on the ownership of exotic animals.

On Thursday, the boys' father, Andrew Barthe, posted this comment on Facebook: "We all grieve in our own way. Being a private person, I do not feel that I need to display my emotions to the whole world. The days ahead are going to be excruciatingly difficult for me and my family. We thank you for your understanding.